


The Bat, the Crane, and the Crow

by ManOFiction245



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DC Super Hero Girls (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: AU, Angst, Barbara just wants a new friend, Bullying, Friends to Enemies, Jonathan's kind of a prick, Male-Female Friendship, Nightmares, mild description of violence, putting it mildly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-20
Packaged: 2021-03-26 03:07:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30099381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ManOFiction245/pseuds/ManOFiction245
Summary: A new student has arrived at Metropolis High. His name is Jonathan Crane, and he turns out to be a friend of Barbara from when they were toddlers. Now they're back together, with Barbara helping him with his new science project. However, there's something sinister Crane is hiding from his friend... 2019 Series AU.
Relationships: Barbara Gordon & Harleen Quinzel, Jonathan Crane & Barbara Gordon
Kudos: 3





	1. New Kid, Old Face

**Author's Note:**

> AN: What do you get when you cross a DCSHG fan with a guy who really likes Scarecrow? This fic, probably.
> 
> Just a note, Scarecrow has been mentioned as one of Batman's villains in this show. So, this is kind of an AU. Either way, I hope you enjoy the show.
> 
> Hey, this was originally uploaded on my FF.net account. Then I decided to make an AO3 account. So, since the story's already done, I'll have all the chapters up within a week.

_7:25am_

Barbara cringed as she stepped in yet another puddle. She could feel her socks being drenched, that was how wet it is. Yesterday, her dad was getting stressed about some meeting that coincided with her getting dropped off to school. Barbara couldn't remember what the meeting was exactly about but promised him that she'd walk to school on Monday so that he wouldn't have to drive her.

And, like some kind of sick prank, it just so happened to be one of the worst days of Autumn.

Barbara tried to push back the negative thoughts. Maybe when she got into school and dried up, she'd feel better. Thankfully, she was just coming up to the school. As she walked up to the door, she heard some talking inside. She couldn't tell what anyone was saying, but it seems like a lot of people were inside. No surprise there, considering the weather. With nothing else to do, she pushed open the door.

The hallway was packed with students, all talking to each other. Some were leaning against their lockers, grinning and laughing about some TV show, others were lining up to go to the bathroom. Barbara scanned the place for her friends. It was kind of hard to though, considering all the students moving about.

However, when a group of jocks moved away from the lockers at the end of the room, she saw them. Diana, Kara, Zee, Jessica, and Karen. They were all talking to each other about something. Well, most of them were. Kara was staring at her phone, glaring at it slightly.

Barbara promptly speed walked over to them, grinning. "Hey guys!"

Her friends raised their heads and smiled. Diana walked up to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Good to see you…" She took the hand off, shaking it. "Evidently, you walked to school."

Barbara chuckled nervously. "Yeah, my dad had this thing on this morning and my driver's license has been revoked after… last week."

Diana nodded to herself, wincing a little when Barbara mentioned last week. She couldn't blame her. It hadn't been a good day for them. Sure, no one was killed, but Jessica had broken her collarbone. Barbara was just lucky that the farmer was so understanding when they crashed.

"Oh, come on!" Kara's voice was rough. Barbara leaned over her shoulder to see what she was looking at. It was an article. An article that read ' _SUPERGIRL CAUSES PROPERTY DAMAGE TO BUILDING AFTER BREAKING WALLS_ '.

Barbara tried to cheer her up. "The place was going to go up in smoke before you showed up," she whispered. Didn't want anyone else to hear, after all. Though, to be fair, she didn't think anyone could hear them at all, considering how loud the hall was. "You did the right thing."

Kara groaned, closing her eyes. "I know. It's just… I swear, I could save the planet and people would complain that I 'scratched a statue'." The Krypton folded her arms in annoyance. Barbara frowned. She felt bad for her. Stuff like this happened a lot. Kara didn't complain about it often, but when she did, she really made it known that she wasn't happy.

At this point, as if to move on from the uncomfortable situation, Karen decided to speak up. "Did you guys hear about a new student arriving today?"

Jessica turned to look at her. "I... can't say I have."

Karen shrugged. "I just overheard Hal and Barry talking about one. Apparently it's a boy, and he's from Gotham."

_Gotham_? That caught Barbara's attention. Yet another student was moving from Gotham to Metropolis, evidently. She could see why, honestly. A lot of guys in Metropolis went on a lot about how bad Gotham was, what with the crime and the poor education system.

"Anything else?" Barbara asked. Karen just shrugged. "Huh." She placed her hands in her pockets. "Wonder who he could b-"

"Hey, do you guys know where the bathrooms are?"

The girls spun around to see the source of the voice. It was a boy who looked around fifteen to sixteen years old. The boy had dark-brown hair, which was askew and messy, and green eyes. He was wearing a brownish-blackish shirt and some denim jeans that looked a little too wide for him, which is probably why he had a belt fastened on him. His bag was suspended on his back and he was holding some kind of case in his right hand. Probably the most notable thing about him was how skinny he looked. From far away, he could almost be mistaken for a telephone pole.

Zee was the first to respond. "Down the hall, to your left."

"Thanks." The boy's voice was quiet, yet slightly rough. Almost like he wasn't expecting a friendly response. "My name's... Jonathan Crane."

Kara smirked. "Crane? Like... Ichabod from _Sleepy Hollow_?"

The boy cringed at that remark. "Don't. Remind me. Please." He sounded mad.

Kara's smirk faded. "Sorry." She sounded genuine. "It was just-"

"A joke. Yadda yadda, I've heard it all before." He turned his attention to Diana. He whistled a little. "Someone's been growing."

Diana smiled. "Thank you. I am aware of my height."

Jonathan seemed to relax a little, judging by how he smiled a little. "I'm sure." He looked over at Jessica, Zee, and Karen. He also appeared to examine them for a bit before he looked over at Barbara. As soon as he saw her, he stood up straight. His smile grew wider.

"Barbara Gordon!" He quickly sped over to her and took her hands. Barbara stared at him, a little weirded out.

_What is he talking about? Why does it seems like he knows me?_

Jonathan laughed slightly. "It's me! Jonny Crane!" Barbara still just stared, now very confused.

"Do... I know you?" Barbara asked. She didn't mean to be rude. It's just... this guy seemed kind of odd.

Jonathan stopped smiling. "You don't remember me?" He sounded a little hurt. "We... went to kindergarten together."

"Did we?"

Jonathan shook his head in disbelief. "Come on! I gave you a banana the last class before Christmas?"

"Well, thanks, b-"

"We were put into the same drawing group."

"Oh... that's i-"

"I was the one kid who cried all day after Bambi!"

Barbara heard Zee mutter "Everyone cried at Bambi.", but she barely processed it. She wracked her brain to see if she remembered anything, anything at all, about this guy.

Wait, now that she thought about it...

"Oh yeah!" Barbara snapped her fingers and smiled. "I know you!"

Jonathan's smile returned. "Good to know! I moved in here from Gotham. My parents found some good land here. Way better than the land we had at Gotham." He paused for a few seconds, before adding "My parents are farmers."

Barbara placed a hand on his shoulder. "Well, good to see you again. I mean, I don't really remember much about us at kindergarten, but you seem friendly."

This seemed to please Jonathan, whose face turned a little red. "Thanks," he said. "You're the first to be really nice to me here. Everyone else..."

He paused again, looking uncomfortable. He looked around him, his eyes half-lidded. His mouth was curled into a thin frown and it almost looked like a shadow had been cast over his face.

"Well, it's not worth talking about." Just like that, practically with an audible _click_ , his face returned to normal. "Did you guys hear about the science fair?"

At this, Karen smiled widely and walked up to him. "I have! I'm working on something really cool for it."

Jonathan smirked. "That makes two of us..."

At this point, the bell went. Jonathan adjusted the bag on his back. "Gotta dash. I have History now." With that, he was off.

"See you!" Barbara called. At this point, her friends had started to go to class as well. Humming to herself, she began to walk as well, dodging the stampeding students like Batman dodging the bullets of a maniac.

_Wonder when I'll see him again_ _..._


	2. Chemistry Class

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Chemistry class, Barbara runs into her old friend again, connecting with him even more

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As an Irish lad, I'm kind of basing the school system off my school. Just a heads-up.

6th period, the lab. That was the room Barbara was in for Chemistry. Truth be told, she couldn't actually remember what they were doing at the moment. Something to do with sulphate and sulphite if she remembered correctly. The teacher had been out for a few days, which probably played a role in her not really remembering.

As soon as she stepped in, a paper aeroplane hit her on the nose. The rest of the class were laughing and chatting. Evidently, the teacher wasn't in. Barbara shrugged and took her seat in the middle row. There were only two students that weren't doing talking, who also happened to also be in the middle row. Pamela Isley, who was hunched over her plant (She called it Phil.) and…

Jonathan?

 _He does chemistry too, huh?_ Barbara thought. Right now, Crane was doodling on a piece of paper, his mouth fixed in a slight frown. She wondered what he could be drawing. Judging by his expression, probably something that was a product of his possible angst and-

" _Silence, everyone!_ "

Almost instantly, the class shut up. If a pin dropped, everyone would be able to hear it. The teacher – Mr. Friars – was standing at the door, dressed in his usual food-stained lab coat. He looked incredibly unamused.

"Everyone ready for today?" He asked. His voice was like ice. Everyone, including Barbara, nodded. "Good." With that, he took a seat at his table. "Sorry I wasn't in for the past few days," Mr. Friars added. "Food poisoning."

He looked at his list, his eyebrows arching down slightly. "OK…" He placed the list down. "It looks like we have a new student: Jonathan Edgar Crane. Say hello, everyone."

"Hello, Jonathan Crane," the class chorused monotonously. Mr. Friars hummed to himself.

"Good, good, but maybe a little more en-"

"Can't we just get started?" Pamela hissed. Her voice was quiet, but the entire class still picked up on it. "I doubt this guy cares too much about his greeting."

Mr. Friars nodded. "OK, you… creepy girl." As much as he tried to deny it, he was seriously freaked out by Pamela. Barbara never saw a reason. Pam was, at most, a loner who talked to a plant and got a little too emotional when a plant died. A little odd, but not creepy. The teacher cleared his throat. "A-Anyway, today we will be carrying out the experiment we talked about last week."

Jonathan raised his hand. "What experiment is that?"

"Testing to see if sulphate and sulphite ions are in an aqueous solution."

 _Oh, that one!_ Barbara thought. She'd be lying if she said that she didn't know how she forgot it. It wasn't the most exciting experiment they could do.

Mr. Friars looked at his list again. "Alright, we'll have to split you all into groups of two." The next thirty seconds consisted of the teacher announcing the groups and some groaning about their parents. Finally, he finished up.

"Barbara Gordon, you'll be paired with Jonathan Crane."

Jonathan raised his head from his drawing. "Hmm?"

"You're with Miss Gordon, Jonathan."

Jonathan looked at Barbara, who gave him a friendly wave. Before Jonathan could say anything else, the teacher added, "In case you're wondering about the student next to you, Pamela, she'd not working with you because she 'doesn't do lab partners'."

Pam looked at him and nodded, looking just about as exhausted as usual. Jonathan shrugged and moved his chair over to Barbara's desk. He smirked.

"Didn't think we'd meet up again so soon."

"Me neither," Barbara responded, but she wasn't unhappy. Quite the opposite. She was really looking forward to getting to know Jonathan more.

At this point, the teacher gave them all their goggles and brought out the apparatus and chemicals they'd be using. Jonathan gathered them and brought them back to their desk. As she filled up the test-tubes with water, Barbara decided that it would be a good idea to talk to him.

"What were you drawing?"

Jonathan raised his head, adjusting his goggles. "What was that?"

"What were you drawing?"

Jonathan scratched the back of his head. "Oh, nothing much. Just Batman."

At the mention of Batman, Barbara's face lit up. "You like Batman too?!" She whisper-shouted. It was always nice for her to meet someone else passionate about the Dark Knight. "I love him! The gadgets, the ninja skills, it's all great! Did you ever see him in per-"

"I hate Batman."

 _Oh._ Barbara's smile faded a little as she sat back in her seat. _Awkward._

"Why?" She asked.

Jonathan scoffed. "Come on, he looks ridiculous. He's definitely trying to be scary, but it's just not working. And why the obsession with bats?"

Barbara never really heard anyone talk about her idol like that, but Jonathan definitely had a lot to say. "So…" Barbara tapped her fingers against the table. "Why were you drawing him?"

Jonathan didn't respond. He just began to scoop up the salts with his spatula. Eventually, he said "Drawing practice."

"I see," Barbara mumbled. "…What are you working on for your science project?"

Jonathan's eyes widened. "My project?" He laughed, looking a little uncomfortable. "Oh, just a… little something."

"What little something?"

"It's a… secret little something."

"But wh-"

" _Ahem_."

The two looked up and saw the teacher standing over them, glaring. "I don't see you two doing the experiment. And if you are, you're doing it far too slow."

"Sorry!" Jonathan yelped sheepishly. With that, Mr. Friars walked off and the two continued their experiment. Thankfully, they weren't too bad at it. They didn't talk again until they were done the experiment, and writing up their procedures, observations, and conclusions. The teacher had gone out for a meeting, so they were free to talk.

"How's Metropolis so far?" Barbara asked. Jonathan looked up, taking his goggles off.

"It's… it's fine." He sounded rather relaxed. "It's not great, it's not awful, it's just… fine. Way better than Gotham."

Barbara placed a hand on his shoulder. "Well, I really like Metropolis. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss Gotham."

At this point, Jonathan's face fell to one of surprise and shock. "You _miss_ Gotham?" He sounded utterly bewildered. "Why?!"

Barbara just smiled. "It's home," she said. "It's where I grew up, it's where Batman is, it has a lot of cool places to visit…"

Jonathan shook his head in disbelief. "You might just be the first person I've talked to that doesn't think that Gotham is one of the worst cities in the world. While I was there, I once woke up with a passed out burglar in my room! Plus, it smells awful."

Barbara scratched the back of her head. "Yeah, stuff like that took a little getting used to. But I still like Gotham."

Jonathan snorted. "That makes one of us." He continued to write up his conclusions. Seeing no reason not to join, Barbara decided to write up her conclusions. A few minutes passed before Jonathan spoke again.

"Some of the people here really suck."

Barbara turned to look at him, her eyebrows raised in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Her friend just sighed. "Look, this may be my first day at school, but a few of the people here I just don't like. That blonde girl for one, wearing all that fur…"

"Barbi?"

"Her! She's _so_ annoying. She just whines and moans about Diana, and I bet she's not even a real blonde. Hal's pretty bad too. He's such a narcissist…"

As Jonathan continued to ramble about the other students, Barbara began to think to herself. Jonathan obviously wasn't a social butterfly. If anything, he was more similar to Pam, a loner. But he definitely wanted to make friends, so he was a little different. But the way he talked, the way he behaved, and now his spiel on the other students… It practically spelled out the fact that he hadn't had a good social life. Was he bullied back at Gotham? Is that why he was so offended by the 'Ichabod' remark Kara made? There were so many thoughts, Barbara had a bit of trouble keeping up.

"…And that Carol girl's even more of a pain than Barbi! Half of what _she_ does is…"

Jonathan trailed off as he looked at Barbara, who was scratching her chin, deep in thought. He sighed to himself and snapped his fingers in her face. "Earth to Babs?"

Barbara snapped out of her thinking trance, turning to Crane. "Uh, yeah?"

"Were you listening to me?"

Barbara laughed nervously. "Well, of course! For the first... twenty seconds?" An awkward grin spread across her face.

Jonathan looked down, but smiled. "Heh. It's OK. I have a tendency to ramble on and on."

At this remark, Barbara chuckled. "Hey, _I_ ramble a lot too."

Crane's shoulders relaxed. "Well, that's one thing we've got in common."

The two laughed a little, but Barbara's mind was drawn to what he said.

_Some of the people here really suck._

_A few of the people here I just don't like._

"Have you..."

Jonathan cut across her. "Been bullied? Yeah. But..." He threw his hands into the air. "It's not important. They're just jerks." With that, he pulled out a copy and began doodling again.

Barbara let out a quiet "Hmm..." She looked at what he was drawing. It looked like some kind of flower. It had thorns on it, thorns sharp enough to cut your finger on. She noticed that there were a few other drawings on the sheet. One of them was some kind of a kitchen sponge with arms and legs. It wore some kind of square pants. Another drawing depicted three kids, one tall, one short, and one wearing what looked like a sock on his head.

And then there was the scarecrow.

Honestly, compared to the other, more simple drawings, the scarecrow stuck out like a sore thumb. Its arms were outstretched and raised in the air, holding some kind of a farming tool, most likely a scythe. The drawing was far more detailed than his other works, allowing her to see every little detail of the creature. The scarecrow had sharp teeth and a wicked grin. Its farmer's clothes were dirty and had holes in them, revealing the hay inside it. Was it just her imagination, or was the hay almost shaped like… bones? That's when she noticed something else about its teeth. They had some _dripping_ from them.

This was creepy. Like something out a nightmare. A _bad_ one. Or some kind of messed-up horror game.

"Like my drawings?" Jonathan sounded cheerful. Barbara just lifted her head and nodded.

"Yeah, they're... creative." She paused. "What's the deal with the scarecrow?"

Jonathan looked at the scarecrow as well. His smile seemed to get wider. "Yeah, just something I doodled. It's very-"

***RIIIIIING***

The bell sounded out throughout the room. Everyone began to get up and leave. Jonathan put the paper back in his bag. "See you around," he muttered. And with that, he disappeared in the swarm of classmates. Once she was alone, Barbara began to make her way to lunch, the scarecrow still fresh in her mind.

 _Wonder what the story about that scarecrow was,_ She thought.

She had no idea just what it really meant. And by the time she would, it would be far too late.


	3. Bully For You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Jonathan tries to eat his lunch in peace, he's harassed by two very familiar, and unpleasant, people

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Time for a change of pace. Or rather, a change of perspective. Now we'll see some challenges Jonathan faces, along with some… issues he may have.  
> Warning: Mild description of violence.

Jonathan may have been a 'glass is half-empty' type of guy, but he had to admit that his first few days in Metropolis had been pretty good.

When his parents – well, his mom and uncle – had told him they were moving out of Gotham, he was happy, but definitely wary. On one hand, he was overjoyed not to be in the cesspool that was Gotham. No more locking his doors with double deadbolt locks, no more crazy people trying to rob him blind, and no more weird ice people who freeze people in some strange attempt to save his wife. So, he wouldn't be missing Gotham.

On the other hand, moving into a new place was always hard.

"Just be yourself," his mother had said. "Be nice, and everyone will like you."

Heh. He wished that were true. He tried to be nice back in his school in Gotham, but all that got him was a black eye. Took two whole weeks before it faded away and people stopped offering him eyepatches.

So, from Thursday onwards, he tried to ignore everyone. He instead decided to look around the city to see if there was anything he liked. And he actually did find some stuff. There was a cool arcade that he visited once or twice. He even got a high score on _Crashing Asteroids_ … mainly because he was the first one to play it when it got set up, but hey, it was something. He also visited the mall, where he bought himself a few new books, including the latest book in his favourite book series, _Crystals of the Depths_.

However, he did end up running into some people. He guessed it was inevitable, with so many people in Metropolis. The first guy he met was Barry Allen, the guy who worked at Sweet Justice. Jonathan decided that he wouldn't hurt to talk to him. Surprisingly, they sort of hit off. Not enough to form a total friendship, but Barry definitely seemed like a sweet and pleasant guy. A lot better than...

Well, he didn't really like to think about them. Thankfully, the next person he really connected with was Barbara. She was a little eccentric, and definitely stood out more than him, but he liked her. It was like kindergarten back in Gotham. He was even thinking that she could help him with his experiment.

Right now, he was a preoccupied with his lunch; a sandwich with lettuce and butter, some water, and a chocolate bar. He was eating outside the school, just behind a few bins. Sure, it smelled awful, but Jonathan liked the secluded area. It left him alone, with just his lunch and books. The smell didn't even interfere with his appetite, which was a plus. Not only that, but he was able to read his book. At the moment, Princess Emily had just saved Mr. Edward from his death, and now they were face to face with a fire-breathing dra-

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the living handrail."

Jonathan's face went pale as he heard those words. He knew that voice. He didn't even look up from his book. He just stared down, breathing heavily. _Not now. The universe must have some sick sense of humour._

"Hey, are you just going to ignore us, scrawny?"

Against his better judgement, against the little voice in his head, against _everything_ , Jonathan looked up. And there they were. On his left, a tall, pale-faced girl, with blue streaks in her hair. She was wearing her usual leather shirt. On his right, another girl. This one had more of a muscular physique, had her ginger hair done up in a ponytail, and wore a yellow jumpsuit. Leslie Willis and Doris Zeul. Or, as he referred to them in his diary, Tryhard and Thickskull.

He had met them on Friday, while at the arcade in Metropolis. There, he had provoked Doris's wrath by spilling her coffee on her face. So, she threw him into a vending machine, getting wrappers and chocolate all over him. And Leslie had recorded it, laughing all the while. Needless to say, he scampered off quickly, having the feeling that they weren't done yet.

And in the next few days, probably because he crossed a black cat at one point, he ran into them again. Sunday was the worse. By the end, he was stuffed in a recycling bin, with underpants on his head, with everyone laughing at him. It was like Gotham with Bo Briggs all over again.

Jonathan placed his book back in his bag and stood up, trying desperately to appear brave. "What are you two doing around here?"

Leslie laughed, leaning against one of the bins. "Nothing much, _Ichabod_. It's just that... There's only one more candy bar in the vending machine."

Jonathan looked at them, unamused. "Then buy it."

Doris took a step towards him, making Jonathan feel even smaller. "Yeah, well, we don't have any money, Jonathan Lame. So..."

She grinned, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. "You got any cash on ya?"

Jonathan gulped. "W-well, yeah, b-b-but I need it for the bus on the way back."

Leslie snorted. "Come on. You could do with a walk." She held out her hand. "So, pay up."

Jonathan's glared at them. He wasn't going to let these two walk over him. Not again. "No."

Doris sneered, pressing her face up to his. "Listen, kid..."

"I'm pretty sure I'm the same ag-"

"Do you want a repeat of what happened at the arcade?" As if to punctuate her point, she flexed her free arm, making her bicep prominent. Jonathan was terrified. How he hated the feeling. He hated being scared. Nearly his whole life, he lived in terror. Well, besides...

He snapped out of the trance when Doris brought back her arm. He needed to think fast.

"Oh teacher! I'm glad you're here!"

Almost instantly, Doris gasped. She dropped him to the ground, and he landed on his back. "I wasn't doing anything, teacher!"

Jonathan smirked as he slid under her legs, taking his bag with him. He heard Leslie behind him.

"You meathead! You fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book!"

"Piss off! Let's just get him!"

Jonathan picked up the pace, running into the building. At this point, all he could really do was run. Run, run, run. Run like he ran from Bo Briggs. Run like he ran from the angry crows in his father's den. Run like others did when he...

His train of thought crashed and burned when he crashed into someone. He fell to the ground, scraping his knee. He looked behind him, seeing that he had knocked over some short kid. Garth, his name was.

"Ow!" Garth moaned. "Watch where you're going!"

Jonathan didn't even mutter an apology. He was far too busy for that. He quickly ran into the boys' toilet. Maybe he could hide there until lunch was over. Hell, maybe Doris and Leslie had lost interest. Maybe-

He heard footsteps. Slow, loud ones and soft, quick ones. It was them.

Jonathan's face flooded with terror. _Crap, crap, crap!_ He needed to hide! He noticed a vacant stall, the door of it hanging open slightly. He didn't really have much of a choice. With that, he sped in there, locking the door. He pulled the toilet seat down and stood on it, just as he heard the door opening.

"Are you sure he'd be here?" Leslie's voice. She sounded agitated. Like she had better thing to do, when she probably didn't.

"Hiding in here's one of the oldest tricks in the book." Doris sounded smug. "He'll be here."

"Oldest trick in the book, huh? Like the old 'say there's a teacher when there really isn't'?"

"Shut it, Leslie!"

Jonathan resisted the urge to chuckle. It would give away his location, and he really didn't want to end up walking home. He peered over the door, trying hard to not be noticed. Leslie and Doris were standing there, yelling in each other's faces and throwing around insults like 'Stupid' and 'Loser'. They were distracted. In fact, they probably wouldn't notice him.

Then Jonathan got an idea. They wouldn't see him coming. He could just jump in and attack them.

In any other case, Jonathan would have just stayed his ground. He knew better than anyone else that he was _not_ physically strong. At all. A toddler could probably beat him in a fight.

But right now, he wasn't thinking clearly.

Letting out a scream, one that kind of sounded like a crow's screech, he leaped onto Doris's back.

Leslie's eyes widened in surprise. "Well, we found him."

Doris swung her hands behind her. "Get off, Crane!"

Jonathan didn't listen to her. This was it. This was his moment of retribution. He was going to beat her till she was black and blue. He would beat her until she was an unconscious, bleeding wreck. Then, he'd go for Leslie. A toothy grin spread across his grin as he delivered the first punch to Doris's head.

It hurt alright. It just didn't hurt Doris.

Jonathan whined in pain as he clutched his hand. He slid off her back and fell to the ceramic floor of the bathroom. "Owie, owie, owie!" He hated how much he sounded like a 10-year-old while in pain.

Seeing his pain, Doris laughed. "Nice job, scrawny!" She delivered a kick to his chest, sending him sliding across for a few centimetres. This only made her laugh more. "Jeez, you're so _easy_ to pick on! Hey Leslie, go on and kick him!"

Leslie shrugged and approached Jonathan. He looked up, shaking. "Now, before you-"

He was interrupted with another kick, this one making him cough. He hear Leslie snicker. "It's like kicking a scarecrow! Hold up a sec, I gotta take a picture of this."

She pulled out her phone and began snapping screenshots, laughing. Jonathan continued to shake, but not in fear. In rage.

He was tired of it. He was tired being laughed at. He was tired of being picked on. He was tired of it all. He wouldn't stand for it. Not for much longer.

He looked behind him, and he saw something that caught his eye. It was a pipe. It was long, slender, and just within his reach. Another idea popped into his head.

And like last time, he went against his better judgement.

He grabbed the pipe and stood up. Leslie noticed him and smiled.

"Heh, finally standing up for-"

She didn't finish before Jonathan smashed the pipe into her mouth.

It all happened so quickly. As soon as the pipe connected, Leslie stumbled back, stumbling and staggering like a drunk man at a bar. After a few seconds, she fell to the ground, covering her mouth and groaning. Jonathan looked at Doris, who stared at the downed bully with wide eyes. Her jaw had dropped open and she looked as though she was trying to fully comprehend it.

She looked scared.

Jonathan grinned. A surge of confidence and joy spread through his body. He had scared her. He had caused terror.

 _Good_.

But then, a few seconds later, Doris's usual hateful glare returned, her eyes boring into his soul. Almost like someone was fiddling with his emotions with a remote control, all the confidence and joy left his body, being replaced with terror.

"Sorrysorrysorrysorrysor-" Before Jonathan could continue his apology, Doris reeled up for a punch. Jonathan ducked and ran out of the bathroom. No way was he going to end up like Leslie on the ground.

After a good 30 seconds of running, he noticed his locker. He could tell by the poster of Freddy Kreuger on it. The perfect hiding place. He opened it up and jumped in, slamming the door. Soon, he heard those voices again.

"Stupid kid!" He heard Doris stomping around. "Where'd he go?"

"Who cares?!" Leslie's voice was slightly muffled, like she was holding a hand over her mouth. "Have you seen my mouth?"

Jonathan looked through the little holes in his locker to take a peek. Leslie withdrew her hand from her mouth. She was bleeding a good amount from the mouth, the blood on her face nearly making her look like the Joker. Upon closer examination, three of her teeth were missing.

 _Try posting now, asshole,_ Jonathan thought, smirking.

Doris recoiled a little. "Ew."

Leslie rolled her eyes and pulled a tissue out of her pocket, putting it to her mouth. "I don't even want the bar now. I don't think I can eat anything at the moment. Which pocket's my phone in?" She pulled out her phone. "Gotta call the dentist now." With that, she stormed off, muttering profanities to herself. Doris, shrugging, followed her.

Once the coast was clear, Jonathan got out of his locker. Wow, was he lucky. Was he incredibly lucky. He sat down, his back against the locker, suddenly feeling totally exhausted. He must have stayed like that for a good five minutes before he heard someone.

"Jonathan?"

He looked up. It was Barbara, who was staring at him, a little confused. Jonathan grinned and stood up.

"Babs!" He high-fived her. "Good to see you!"

Barbara smiled as well. "Good to see you too! After I was done talking with my other friends, I decided to find you!" Then her brow furrowed. "Did you see Leslie?"

Jonathan blinked. "Who?" He asked, playing dumb.

"The girl with the dyed blue hair."

"Her?"

"Yeah, she's been taken home by her parents." She placed her hands in her pockets. "She got smacked in the face with a pipe. Lost three teeth. Wonder who could have done that to her?"

Jonathan fought the urge to laugh. "No idea, Babs. No idea..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes, that's a little... psychopathic. But hey, that's the worst it gets, right?  
> why am I asking this i'm the writer  
> Thanks for the kudoses, by the way. Make sure to leave a comment should you feel the need to, and I'll be back here very soon!


	4. Dinner At Jonathan's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Babs visits her new friend's house, meets his parents, and finds herself learning more about his old life.

It had been a week since Barbara had met up with Jonathan again, and thankfully, they had really hit it off. He was friendly, smart, a little shy, but from what she could tell, he had a good heart in spite of his abrasive outside. The past few days, they had been chatting it up, talking about movies they've been seeing, places they've been to, and what they thought of Gotham. Jonathan really didn't like that place, and he sure did make his hatred well-known. But Barbara didn't mind. She was just cool to have Jonathan as a friend.

She hadn't really introduced him to her friends yet. Sure, he met them on his first day in Metropolis High, but he didn't really _know_ them. Same with Harleen. Barbara just hoped that Jonathan would be able to get along with her other friends. He didn't seem like someone who would drive a rift between people, at least.

And now, she was walking to his house. On Friday, Jonathan asked her if she'd like to come over to his house for dinner. She said 'yes', so the previous night, Jonathan sent her the directions for his house.

"The farm with the paint peeling off of the stable," he had said. "You can't miss it."

And she didn't. As she made her fourth left turn, she spotted the farm. There was a two storey house there, situated next to a cornfield. Across from the cornfield, there were a few crops growing, along with an empty stable.

_That's the place_ , Barbara thought with a grin. She crossed the road, jumped over the fence, and briskly walked up to the door. Without hesitation, she knocked. A few seconds later, she heard some footsteps coming down the stairs. Then she heard someone fumbling with something, followed by the sound of what sounded like a parcel falling to the ground. After around 3 seconds, the door opened with a soft _click_ , being pulled back. The woman at the door looked at Barbara and smiled.

"Oh, hi there." The woman looked like she was in her mid-to-late-thirties. She was wearing glasses and a bright red scarf and her black hair was done up in a bun. "Jonathan was telling me about you." She had a slight southern accent.

Barbara nodded. "Yeah, Mrs. Crane."

The woman just laughed. "You can call me Ellie." With that, she stepped back, allowing Barbara to enter the house. The hallway was covered in old knick-knacks. One glance at the table next to the door and Barbara could pick out at least twenty pins you could stick on your shirt. Most of them had something to do with farming, like a pig, a pitchfork, or an ear of corn, but there were also some other ones, like the flag of Britain, and a surfboard.

Soon, a smell invaded Barbara's nostrils. Thankfully, it was a good smell. Her smile grew wider. "What's that?"

Ellie smirked, leaning against the staircase's railing. "Oh, just Jonathan's uncle putting dinner together."

Barbara followed the smell into the kitchen, where she spotted someone hunched over the cooker. This man looked older than Ellie, probably being in his mid-forties. He had wispy blonde hair and a large red and white shirt that had the pattern of a checkerboard. His shorts seemed a little big for him and there was a hole in the back leg, revealing the back of his knee. He turned around, smiling when he saw Barbara, flashing his yellow teeth.

"So, you're the girl old Jonny's brought in," he said with a chuckle. His southern accent was definitely more prominent than Ellie's. "Well, you'll have to wait for dinner. Can't cook so quickly with… this!"

He raised his right hand and Barbara gasped, jumping a little. Instead of a proper hand, he had a silver hook. A hook that wouldn't look out of place on a pirate. A few seconds passed before the man began to laugh.

"Got you, didn't I?"

At this point, Barbara saw the funny side of it, laughing as well. "Yeah. That's a really convincing hook!"

Once the man had calmed down, he smiled awkwardly and scratched the back of his head. "This ain't fake, missy."

_Oops._

"Um…"

The man just shook his head, his grin growing wider. "No need to be sorry. It's good for giving people a good scare." He held it up high, like it was a trophy. "Lost it in a freak buzzsaw accident. Long story…" He actually seemed proud of the hook.

"Otis! Is dinner nearly ready?" Ellie's voice ran out as she walked into the room, her hands on her hips. "The girl's probably starving."

"I'm fine," Barbara said. Otis smirked and turned back to whatever he was cooking. Then, a thought crossed Barbara's mind.

"Where's Jonathan?"

Ellie pointed to the ceiling. "Oh, he's just in his room. He said something about 'working on his science project'."

Barbara stood up straight, smiling. "Thanks!" With that, she ran up the stairs, spotting a door just adjacent to the stairs. With all the ferocity of Batman knocking down the Riddler (at least, before he turned over a new leaf), she kicked open the door. She heard a yelp, followed by a crash.

"Jesus!" It was Jonathan. Barbara opened her eyes, cringing a little when she saw Jonathan. He had fallen off of the chair he was on, causing him to drop the book to the ground. "Babs, do you usually do that?"

Barbara ran over to him, helping him up. "Sorry, Jonny. I just- AAARGH!"

Before she could react, a crow began flapping up in her face, shrieking and squawking, its wings flapping frantically. It began pecking at her face, causing her to swing her arms around. "Getitoffgetitoffgetitoff!" She screamed.

She couldn't see, thanks to her shutting her eyes to make sure the crow didn't peck her eyes out, but she did hear Jonathan getting up and approaching her. Then she heard him speak.

"Calm down, Lynch. She's friendly."

No avail. She heard him sigh loudly and walk away. Barbara was seriously considering going down to Ellie and Otis before suddenly, the squawking stopped. Even the flapping seemed to slow down. After a few tense moments, she opened her eyes. The crow had flown into a small cage, pecking at whatever was in the green basin next to it. Jonathan looked at it, a warm smile on his face, before turning to Barbara.

"Sorry about Lynch," Jonathan said, fixing his hair. "He hates loud noises. And new people."

Barbara walked up to the cage. "He's your pet, I'm assuming?" Jonathan turned to her, the smile not having left his face.

"Yeah, found him in the den back at Gotham." He looked at the crow, who had started to drink some water. "At first, I called him Shirley. As in, Shirley Jackson." He paused, laughing a little. "Then I found out he was a boy."

Barbara laughed as well. After a few seconds, Jonathan shut the cage and turned back to her. "So, dinner isn't ready yet, so..."

She threw herself onto his bed. "Wanna talk?"

Jonathan smirked, shrugging. "Sure, why not?" He pulled over a chair and sat next to his bed, leaning over the back of the chair. "Like my room?"

Barbara began to look around the room. The walls were painted black, like coal. It was rather messy and unorganised, with paper strew around everywhere. There were a few more drawings on the walls, of cartoon characters and... that scarecrow again. They were just as creepy as the one in chemistry class. One depicted it looming over a house, its mouth hanging open and its teeth sharp as razors. Another had it hiding behind a wall, grinning creepily as it watched a man with a briefcase walk down the street. It was evident that Jonathan really liked that thing. Why, she didn't know...

Her eyes drifted over to his desk, where she saw some kind of science apparatus. There were a few beakers, a blue flower with thorns, some tubes leading into what looked like syringes, and a Bunsen burner.

"What's that?"

Jonathan raised his head. "What's wha..." He stopped. "Oh, you must mean my project." He stood up and walked over to the apparatus. "It's a concoction I've been working on for the science fair."

Barbara's eyes widened in curiosity. She stood up and stood by him. "What kind of concoction?"

At this point, Jonathan suddenly became nervous. He began to fidget with his hands, biting his lip a little. "Oh, it's... a concoction that can allow someone to conquer fear." After he said that, he seemed to calm down. "Yeah... I've been working on it for a while. What's your worst fear?"

Barbara blinked. "Me? I'd have to say... flying sharks."

Jonathan grinned as he held up a beaker, which contained some kind of a dark green-blueish liquid. "Well, if you took one whiff of this when it's complete, you wouldn't be afraid of... flying sharks anymore."

Hearing this, Barbara's grin grew wider. "That's amazing! Finally, no more nightmares about flying sharks! Or sharks in general!" She started to jump up and down in place giddily.

Jonathan chuckled. "Yeah, that's pretty much it." He placed the beaker back. "My father actually started up on this project. Before he left, anyway."

Barbara suddenly stopped jumping, a confused look on her face. "What do you mean?" When Jonathan didn't response, she frowned. "Oh, jeez. I'm sorry if I-"

"No, it's fine," Jonathan interrupted. "I never really liked my dad. He wasn't ever abusive to me, but he never had time for me. It was always something about the university, or something about his project. He was a _rotten_ father." He walked over to his bed, sitting down on it. "I'm glad he's in Arkham."

This elicited a gasp from Barbara. "Why?"

"Because he was also crazy." Jonathan spoke casually; like your dad being in an asylum was the most normal thing ever. "I'm better off without him. Even my mom got over him quickly. He wasn't bad to her or anything, but the whole 'being crazy' thing kind caused a wedge." He shrugged, starting to lie on his back.

Barbara nodded to herself, talking all that in. She felt bad for him. Not having a good father would definitely be a hard pill to swallow. She started to look at his drawings again.

However, this time, one particular drawing caught her eye. It depicted a crow. The crow was lying on its back, looking up at the sky. Its beak was broken, blood dripping from its mouth, as a stone laid next to it. Upon closer inspection, there were some silhouettes of people laughing in the background.

"What's that?" She asked. Jonathan raised his head. Once he saw the drawing, he frowned.

"Oh, that. Well, it's..." He paused. A few seconds, ones that felt like hours, passed before he spoke again.

"Well, I guess I can tell you. The crow's me."

Barbara's frown grew more pronounced. "That was the idea I got from it."

She heard Jonathan make a noise. It sounded like a laugh that halfway through turned into a scoff. "Perceptive, aren't you? The people in the distance are my classmates back at Gotham."

Barbara started to put the pieces together. It was at that moment, the one time she didn't want to be right, she was right. "So, you..."

Jonathan stood up. "Yeah, I was bullied back at Gotham." He walked up to the drawing on the wall, placing a hand on it. "Although the land was a factor in my family leaving Gotham, it wasn't the straw that broke the camel's back."

Barbara felt stupid asking this, but she said "What was?"

She swore she heard Jonathan sniff, as if he were crying. "The _torture_ I received back at my school. I never had any friends. The students were terrible to me. Everyone called me a scarecrow, or 'Ichabod'. Like your friend, I suppose."

"Kara didn't know-"

"Practically every day, I walked home with either wounds or my feelings hurt. I remember one night, my biggest tormentor, Bo Briggs, threw me into my locker. On a Friday. I was stuck in there for _16 hours_." He paused, clearing his throat. "I was also claustrophobic. _And he knew that._ " Jonathan wiped his eyes, and sat on the ground, burying his face in his hands. "A-and even though my first few days were pretty good, I've still been pushed around by a lot of the other students. Yesterday, one of the jocks tripped me over and I fell into a trash can. It reminded me of Gotham. Hell, besides you and that guy who works at Sweet Justice, it seems like no one cares about me."

Barbara's heart broke for Jonathan. That all sounded terrible. And then she heard what he said next.

"And I don't want Metropolis to be the same as Gotham."

That did it. Barbara grabbed Jonathan by the shoulders. "Jonathan, look at me."

Her voice was more firm than usual. Jonathan raised his head to look at her, his eyes red.

"You don't need to worry. Metropolis is great. Sure, some people can be bad, but it's really a great place." She smiled. "And hey, you got me as a friend. You need help? Babs has got you covered."

Jonathan stared at her for a little bit, and Barbara began to wonder if he had taken what she said to heart. But then, a small quivering smile appeared on his face. "Yeah," he said, standing up and wiping his face. "I... I guess I just need to be positive. I mean, new city, new experiences, right?"

Barbara patted him on the back. "Sure thing. I got used to Metropolis in no time. It's only a matter of time until you're comfortable."

Her friend's shoulders relaxed. "I'm sure. Especially when..." He stopped, shaking his head a little, smiling. "Well, it's not important now."

"Kids! Dinner's ready!" Ellie's voice was loud. The two quickly went downstairs, heading into the kitchen. There were four plates of spaghetti, adorned with cheese and sauce. Barbara quickly took her seat and began shovelling spaghetti into her mouth. Jonathan took his seat and began to eat as well, though eating more methodically.

"Calm down, girl," Ellie said, sitting down. "You'll choke otherwise."

"She'll be fine, El," Otis said. He was in the middle of preparing his own plate. "I always did that and I never choked."

Ellie just laughed. "Gerald was always so patient with you, wasn't he?"

"Well, I'm his brother. He'd kinda have to be."

As Barbara ate, she looked over at Jonathan, who thankfully looked a lot happier. That was good to know. Her mind drifted back to the concoction Jonathan was making. He could actually _cure_ someone of their greatest fears!

She had a feeling that he really had some potential to change the world for the better.


End file.
